Top Stories – Page 95 – The Mississippi Link

DOJ to launch hate crime inquiry in case of George Zimmerman

Although he is said to be in hiding after his acquittal in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, trouble for George Zimmerman appears to be far from over.

The Justice Department said Sunday that it was restarting its investigation into Martin’s death in 2012 to consider possible separate hate crime charges against Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot Martin was acquitted of all charges by a jury late Saturday. […]

Elderly Morton woman killed in freak accident

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Reportedly, no charges have been filed in a freak accident last month that claimed the life of 73-year-old Morton woman. WLBT reported that Catherine Westman was coming out of a nail salon when she was run over by a forklift in the parking lot of the Fairway Grocery store during the afternoon hours of June 12.

The forklift was being used to remove boxes.

Scott County Coroner Joe Bradford said Westman was taken to UMC in Jackson where she died in surgery. […]

Simpson County woman killed in accident

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A one car accident has claimed the life of a Simpson County woman.

Jefferson Davis County Deputy Coroner Kathy Stephens says the accident happened on Granby Road around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. That’s off Highways 84 and 35 near Prentiss.

The 24-year-old was driving a Ford Taurus when she lost control, left the roadway and hit a tree. […]

Green Circle locating wood pellet operations to George County

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Officials from Green Circle Bio Energy said the company is locating an energy wood pellet manufacturing facility in the George County Industrial Park. The project represents a company investment of $115 million and will create 126 jobs with the potential of up to 141.

The majority of the project’s jobs will be at the George County facility with the remainder being at the Port of Pascagoula. Additional temporary jobs will also be created during plant construction.

The facility is expected to be operational by spring 2015 and will produce wood pellets for shipment from the Port of Pascagoula to European markets to be sold to electric generating facilities as a renewable alternative to coal. Initially, the plant will have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of wood pellets per year. […]

Man out on bond for teen’s murder now faces drug charges

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WLBT reported that a man already facing a murder charge for killing a 15-year-old boy has now been arrested for drugs.

Jackson Police said Cedric Ratliff, 26, had almost half a pound of marijuana in his possession at a residence in the 1400 block of Cox Street.

The drugs have a street value of about $1,000. One thousand dollars in cash was also recovered from the residence, WLBT said. […]

Former asylum patients’ resting place unearthed on UMMC campus

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Mable Daniels’ great-grandmother was a patient in the State Insane Asylum about a century ago when she was laid to rest on the asylum grounds – before her family, who hails from Vaiden, knew she had died.

“Things were done different back then,” said Daniels, of Forest.

Apparently so; Daniels wonders if her ancestor’s remains could lie in one of the five dozen wooden coffins uncovered over the last several months beneath the former site of the vanished asylum – the campus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. […]

Macon minister gets new trial in statutory rape of 13-year-old

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A new trial has been ordered for a now 78-year-old minister serving 20 years for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

R.C. Hibbler was convicted in 2005 for having sex with a girl who came over to his house to play with his twin daughters.

Prosecutors previously filed an appeal to reinstate the statutory rape conviction after the State Court of Appeals last fall ordered a new trial in the case. The Supreme Court denied that motion last week. […]

Jones and Totten to be honored at Legends Reception

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Former Mississippi Valley State quarterback Willie Totten and the late defensive lineman David “Deacon” Jones will be two of five former HBCU standouts to be honored Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. at the MEAC/SWAC Legends Reception in Orlando, hosted by ESPN.

The Legends Award was established in 2009 to pay tribute to extraordinary alumni who have used their respective MEAC and SWAC university education to bring excellence to their professional achievements and/or community service endeavors whether local, statewide, nationally or globally.
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Entergy Donates $50k to Washington County

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On June 11, Entergy celebrated 90 years in business with a luncheon held in Greenville, one of the Mississippi communities where Entergy got its start. At the event, Entergy Mississippi President Haley Fisackerly saluted outgoing board member Billy Percy for his 14 years of service on the Entergy board.

Fisackerly mentioned to the audience that Percy’s father had also served on the board when the company was known as Mississippi Power & Light and that out of 90 years in business, the Percys had collectively served 42 years on the board.
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Man dies in fall from bait boat near Horn Island

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Authorities are investigating the death of a Pascagoula man who fell off a commercial bait boat south of Horn Island.

Melissa Scallan, spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, says 44-year-old Jeffery “Chickenwing” Lee was one of 12 people on a 45-foot commercial boat from CC’s Live Bait of Pascagoula.

Company employees had taken the boat to Horn Island on Thursday for an Independence Day celebration. Lee had worked for the company as a deck hand for about a year. […]